To all those in the United States currently occupying parks, squares and other spaces, your
comrades in Cairo are watching you in solidarity. Having received so much advice from
you about transitioning to democracy, we thought it's our turn to pass on some advice.

Indeed, we are now in many ways involved in the same struggle. What most pundits call
“The Arab Spring” has its roots in the demonstrations, riots, strikes and occupations taking
place all around the world, its foundations lie in years-long struggles by people and
popular movements. The moment that we find ourselves in is nothing new, as we in Egypt
and others have been fighting against systems of repression, disenfranchisement and the
unchecked ravages of global capitalism (yes, we said it, capitalism): a System that has
made a world that is dangerous and cruel to its inhabitants. As the interests of government
increasingly cater to the interests and comforts of private, transnational capital, our cities
and homes have become progressively more abstract and violent places, subject to the
casual ravages of the next economic development or urban renewal scheme.

An entire generation across the globe has grown up realizing, rationally and emotionally,
that we have no future in the current order of things. Living under structural adjustment
policies and the supposed expertise of international organizations like the World Bank and
IMF, we watched as our resources, industries and public services were sold off and
dismantled as the “free market” pushed an addiction to foreign goods, to foreign food
even. The profits and benefits of those freed markets went elsewhere, while Egypt and
other countries in the South found their immiseration reinforced by a massive increase in
police repression and torture.

The current crisis in America and Western Europe has begun to bring this reality home to
you as well: that as things stand we will all work ourselves raw, our backs broken by
personal debt and public austerity. Not content with carving out the remnants of the
public sphere and the welfare state, capitalism and the austerity-state now even attack
the private realm and people's right to decent dwelling as thousands of foreclosed-upon
homeowners find themselves both homeless and indebted to the banks who have forced
them on to the streets.

So we stand with you not just in your attempts to bring down the old but to experiment
with the new. We are not protesting. Who is there to protest to? What could we ask them
for that they could grant? We are occupying. We are reclaiming those same spaces of
public practice that have been commodified, privatized and locked into the hands of
faceless bureaucracy , real estate portfolios, and police ‘protection’. Hold on to these
spaces, nurture them, and let the boundaries of your occupations grow. After all, who
built these parks, these plazas, these buildings? Whose labor made them real and livable?
Why should it seem so natural that they should be withheld from us, policed and
disciplined? Reclaiming these spaces and managing them justly and collectively is proof
enough of our legitimacy.

In our own occupations of Tahrir, we encountered people entering the Square every day
in tears because it was the first time they had walked through those streets and spaces
without being harassed by police; it is not just the ideas that are important, these spaces
are fundamental to the possibility of a new world. These are public spaces. Spaces forgathering, leisure, meeting, and interacting – these spaces should be the reason we live in
cities. Where the state and the interests of owners have made them inaccessible,
exclusive or dangerous, it is up to us to make sure that they are safe, inclusive and just. We
have and must continue to open them to anyone that wants to build a better world,
particularly for the marginalized, excluded and for those groups who have suffered the
worst .

What you do in these spaces is neither as grandiose and abstract nor as quotidian as “real
democracy”; the nascent forms of praxis and social engagement being made in the
occupations avoid the empty ideals and stale parliamentarianism that the term
democracy has come to represent. And so the occupations must continue, because
there is no one left to ask for reform. They must continue because we are creating what
we can no longer wait for.

But the ideologies of property and propriety will manifest themselves again. Whether
through the overt opposition of property owners or municipalities to your encampments or
the more subtle attempts to control space through traffic regulations, anti-camping laws
or health and safety rules. There is a direct conflict between what we seek to make of our
cities and our spaces and what the law and the systems of policing standing behind it
would have us do.

We faced such direct and indirect violence , and continue to face it . Those who said that
the Egyptian revolution was peaceful did not see the horrors that police visited upon us,
nor did they see the resistance and even force that revolutionaries used against the police
to defend their tentative occupations and spaces: by the government's own admission; 99
police stations were put to the torch, thousands of police cars were destroyed, and all of
the ruling party's offices around Egypt were burned down. Barricades were erected,
officers were beaten back and pelted with rocks even as they fired tear gas and live
ammunition on us. But at the end of the day on the 28
th
of January they retreated, and
we had won our cities.

It is not our desire to participate in violence, but it is even less our desire to lose.
If we do not resist, actively, when they come to take what we have won back, then we will
surely lose. Do not confuse the tactics that we used when we shouted “peaceful” with
fetishizing nonviolence; if the state had given up immediately we would have been
overjoyed, but as they sought to abuse us, beat us, kill us, we knew that there was no
other option than to fight back. Had we laid down and allowed ourselves to be arrested,
tortured, and martyred to “make a point”, we would be no less bloodied, beaten and
dead. Be prepared to defend these things you have occupied, that you are building,
because, after everything else has been taken from us, these reclaimed spaces are so
very precious.

By way of concluding then, our only real advice to you is to continue, keep going and do
not stop. Occupy more, find each other, build larger and larger networks and keep
discovering new ways to experiment with social life, consensus, and democracy. Discover
new ways to use these spaces, discover new ways to hold on to them and never givethem up again. Resist fiercely when you are under attack, but otherwise take pleasure in
what you are doing, let it be easy, fun even. We are all watching one another now, and
from Cairo we want to say that we are in solidarity with you, and we love you all for what
you are doing.

256 Comments

Part of the manipulation people from ALL nations have endured is the deliberate demonizing and pitting of us against each other. Think of the changes that are possible when ALL people say, "no more." We will not be tools for your profit, your aggressions, your greed, your social engineering or your desire to steal resources. I will not kill my neighbor. I will not participate in your armies and aggressions, I will not pay your false debt nor enrich you while others starve.

NO MORE. All people must stand together in this; they cannot defeat the entire world, we ARE the 99%.

Love what you wrote OccupyJo. Yes! Think of the changes that could be possible if ALL people said, 'no more' to what they know in their hearts to be inhumane practices / domination and exploitation. So simple, yet so very powerful.

Because just like we do not control what our government or other groups do, you should not blame all Egyptians for other people's actions.

The group expressing solidarity with Occupy is a Young Egyptians For Democracy group. If you disagree with democracy, or that they are fighting to change things in thier country, too - then yes, go ahead and paint them all with the same brush - but it's self-defeating. They want the same things we want.

When I said the Egyptians are murdering the Coptic Christians and looting foreign embassies, what group of Egyptians did you think I was referring to?

You sound like the OWS people trying to deny the looters and store smashers in Oakland are not part of the movement. You can't have a movement and get the praise AND THE BLAME for the changes that come with it.

Even the police in Oakland...not famous for supporting the people or truth, have said that a small minority of troublemakers were causing problems, and that Occupiers tried to get them to stop. It has also become obvious that the troublemakers came out after dark. Take Oakland in context; a lot of people have issues with the police there, and have for years. The PD has been under a judges injunction for 8 years to clean up it's act, under threat of federal receivership/takeover of the department; it's been that bad.

It's actually pretty amazing how little trouble Oakland has had, considering the criminality and violence of the police, and their long history with them.

According to your logic, if you were in a store that was being robbed, you too are guilty to some degree. That's not rational. However, think as you wish, it's a free country - or sort-of - and we aim to keep it that way and hopefully make it even better. :)

I agree that commitment to non-violence is critical. That being said there may come a time when the state realizes that the changes we seek are in direct opposition to what they hold dear. They will not hesitate to use brute force... What are we to do under those circumstances??? I think that historically, protective force is the answer. I repeat: protective force.

Locking arms not only makes it more difficult to seperate you (and possibly harm you) but it is also very clear on videos that your arms are down and locked; they cannot accuse you of throwing things or being violent.

We MUST remain peaceful. Some of us will get hurt eventually, no doubt. But we can only win by remaining peaceful. Any Occupier has free legal counsel through the national guild of lawyers; in every state. Use them. This will likely intensify. We've been through it before, but we do not want another Kent State. Remain peaceful no matter what they do.

OccupyJo that sounds like good advice. I would also say be aware that very many people in many countries are following OWS very closely and you should be inclusive in your comments, being aware that different laws are being used in different countries to suppress the people. This is the opportunity for people in every nation to unite because we are all the 99%.

I'm not a committed pacifist, and haven't been for going on 40 years, but if force is used by the Occupiers, it will immediately pave the way for carnage produced by the Gate-Keepers, the likes of which this country hasn't seen in many, many years. And if that occurs, the Movement would be lost for some time to come, forfeiting way too much to list.

Peace is mandatory to the successes and changes that are needed.... Even when it hurts.

I agree fully. We need to hold onto peace, and show the oppressors what they have become through their very own eyes. There are possibilities of change within our own force, don't get me wrong. However, we must remember not to become the enemy tactically. We are different, and we want them to see the difference and see it is valued. And living in a conservative town myself, many need to see the change happen. we are the 99 percent, that doesn't mean the whole of them understand where they're at in the scheme of things.

Thanks for your comments and support. So many people here view the actions of the police in NYC, Boston, and in many other U.S. cities as something meaningless and small, but I (as well as many others) see it as only the beginning of what you've described.... the start and growth of a police state in which its citizens are oppressed and not able to freely and peacefully walk through its own cities without being harassed.

The start? Man, it has been for years. Also, poverty has become a jailable crime. Lebanon, Pennsylvania for instance, will jail someone for a ten dollar parking ticket if it is not paid in twenty days, but it doubles after ten days. After twenty, it becomes 100.00. Then they come get you immediately. You know where they nab everyone? In the poorest areas of the city, and at the community college where all the broke hard workers go. You wouldn't see this in the papers either. Police city-Lebanon County.

Solidarity from Poland.
You have to be smart. Remember you are fighting with the elite that controls this country.
I am 48 years old. I came from Poland 23 years ago at a time when was communism.
The main reason for my departure in USA was freedom of speech, normal business, and confidence to not be arrest on the demonstrations, to be a free man, raise my children in a normal country and not in communism.
In Poland, I fight for freedom and I was repeatedly arrested. I was young and stupid.
I am with you and will try to share my experience:
First do not let yourself be arrested as a hooligan.
Second if you see that someone from the crowd wants to throw something - stop him. - is probably the provocateur. Hi will be release and you will be weakened.
Third do not let yourself to be provoked by police. Remember the police are normal people but are also substitution agents.
4th. Remember you are fighting with the elite that controls this country. You have to be smart. For next demonstration take with you a friend, and then make sure next time he will take his friend. Never take with you a man who was arrested for fighting or for theft. They wait to show on TV who demonstrates.
5th do not try to be a hero - it's not time yet. Educate yourself and your friend’s why you here. For authority is the hardest to fight with peaceful and smart citizen.
Thank you. Good luck. I'm with you.
Lucid.

Thanks for the first-person historical perspective. Did you ever hear of this book, "Voyage From Yesteryear" by James P. Hogan? http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=summary "The book has an interesting corollary. Around about the mid eighties, I received a letter notifying me that the story had been serialized in an underground Polish s.f. magazine. They hadn't exactly "stolen" it, the publishers explained, but had credited zlotys to an account in my name there, so if I ever decided to take a holiday in Poland the expenses would be covered (there was no exchange mechanism with Western currencies at that time). Then the story started surfacing in other countries of Eastern Europe, by all accounts to an enthusiastic reception. What they liked there, apparently, was the updated "Ghandiesque" formula on how bring down an oppressive regime when it's got all the guns. And a couple of years later, they were all doing it!"

By the way, to support your points on avoiding violence: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/change/science_nonviolence.html "However, the strategic nonviolence I am talking about is far more than that. It is a strategy for winning in conflicts where there are real differences between the adversaries, including class antagonisms. As a form of conflict, nonviolent direct action is best understood in terms of the same basic concepts that are used to understand violent (military) conflicts, because the underlying reality in both cases is the engagement in conflict over opposing perspectives and interests. Thus the phrase "strategic nonviolence," which is in fact what trade union organizers practice through strikes and what civil rights leaders employed through sit-ins, freedom rides, and boycotts. It is a form of struggle that is focused on prevailing despite the fact that the opponents -- usually a government or power elite -- have superior resources and are likely to use one or another form of violence if they think it can succeed. Although nonviolence is a strategic choice, it has to be employed within the context of a larger and more encompassing value system to help members refrain from violence in the face of delays, provocations, and violent acts by the opponents. Encasement within a value system is also so that opponents slowly can become convinced that the challengers will not suddenly resort to violence when they think it will be to their advantage. A sudden shift to property destruction or armed struggle is not an option. For the Civil Rights Movement, this normative sense and necessary value system were provided first of all by the deep religious faith of the key participants. Strategic nonviolence was practiced within the context of the African-American Christian churches, with their deeply moving spirituals like "We Shall Overcome," and it was taught in black schools of theology. However, strategic nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement also was based in a strong belief in American democracy, a belief that was surprising to outsiders because of the despicable way in which African-Americans have been treated throughout American history. Given the overwhelming violence that Southern whites could employ with impunity, African-Americans in the South of course fully understood that nonviolence was their only choice as a strategy, but it was their faith in Christianity and democracy that made their chosen strategy possible and sustainable. For current-day egalitarians, a commitment to the freedoms and democratic procedures won by past egalitarians can provide the primary foundation for the practice of nonviolence, although some of them also draw upon their religious values as well. This democratic commitment has the added virtue of narrowing the gap between egalitarians and mainstream liberals. In addition, a nonviolence orientation can be sustained by the knowledge that it helps to keep the egalitarian movement itself more democratic; it ensures that violence-prone dominators will not take over the movement and subvert its democratic aims. As many historical cases suggest, the most violent people soon rise to the top once the possibility of violence is introduced, and they often use their loyal followers to intimidate or kill rivals."

Ok. Don't really understand your "movement", so a few questions. Please explain what you mean by being "marginalized"? I've seen that term used twice now since yesterday & not sure what you mean by it. Also, not real sure why you are "occupying" spaces. It's not clear to me the connection between that and what I think is part of your mission (that's not clear either) to fight poverty? You mention, "we will all work ourselves raw, our backs broken by personal debt and public austerity" which I again don't understand. If someone is "broken by personal debt" then they made some bad choices - noone can make you go into debt, and as long as someone is "working themselves raw", there is decent dwelling for them. I'm not sure of exact numbers, but I'm betting that a large percentage or foreclosures are on people who are in a home that was much more expensive than the people could afford. With the government programs that are in place, and really very abused, I find it hard to believe people who are truly in need, and not just being lazy, can't get a place to live.

I am absolutely overwhelmed with the number of people who believe they are owed something. The government is not responsible for how we live. We are! So get a job & spend your money wisely, not frivolously on your desires, and live within your means. As a result, you will first meet your needs, THEN your wants as you have extra money. This will also result in absolutely NO DEBT. Amazing how that works.

Your mission? Occupy Wallstreet? Really? You want to blame Wallstreet for your woes? You want to blame the bankers who were governed to give loans to the poor, who could not afford to pay them back, and then when the loans failed (surprise,surprise), we had an economic crisis. That's what happens when government gets too involved - no common sense. It's really simple, work, earn money, live off that money, don't get loans you can't afford. It sounds like you guys are supporting "redistributing the wealth". So the people who have really busted their humps to get where they are, should be required to give people who choose not to work, some of their money? Therefore, de-incentivising anyone with a desire to work and make money, so in the end, nobody works. Redistributing the wealth is not democratic, it's socialism. Go live in a socialist country if that's what you want. I prefer to have a choice in how I work, live, and spend my money. You guys need to get a new mission!

We can get the power in America by first modifying the Constituti­on to implement a Plural Executive. Read Federalist Paper #70 or, if you dislike 18th century writing style, read Wikipedia. In short, a plural executive would change the executive office from one man (or one party) to at least three or more (say, one Rep, one Dem, one Independen­t). A Plural Executive is harder to bribe than a solitary one. Also, the all-import­ant Independen­t, representi­ng the 50%, is always there to break the tie. Alexander Hamilton broached the subject in FP #70. He denounced it then, but, hey, that was 200 years ago when America
was but an infant. Moreover, we're smarter than Alex.

Which is smarter, using your head as a cushion for a police paton or using it to change the Constituti­on?”

Easy to say. So everyone who has ever been cheated had it coming? All who have financial problems are lazy and or stupid? Those who have wealth couldn't or wouldn't hang on to their power by any and all means? Do your own homework. Your philosophy came right out of the can and you accepted it without question.

No. The main point, first, is to exercise our Constitutional rights to assembly and peaceful dissent. It is the very fabric of our nation, and what formed it. We are seeing growing attempts from authorities to prevent us from exercising that right. They are wrong to do so. Public parks and spaces are paid for and maintained by our money. They are for us to use. You shouldn't actually even have to purchase a permit to use them for any peaceful assembly.

This isn't about wanting a handout. This is about justice and fairness for all. That is an ideal to strive for. Nobody wants to take your new car from you if you earned it. This is not communism.

This is about ending the ability for corporation to buy our government, write it's policies, and profiteer through criminal behaviors and manipulations of the global financial sector.

If you think it's ok that Goldman-Sachs (for one example), received billions of our taxpayer dollars without our permission, sent a lot of it out of the country, and then posted a 9-billion profit for that same year ...then yes, you will not agree with this movement.

If you think white-collar financial crime can go unpunished, or simply fined...then you will not agree with this movement.

I could go on, but you get the idea. We want to fix what's broken in this country, implement methods for a truly healthy economy, and make things better. If you think those things are bad, then you will not agree with this movement.

Beautiful statement here. We need a world revolution. The wealthy are corrupted by a disease of the heart. They have sold their souls to the devil, imagining that materialism and consumerism are the raison d'etre. They are zombies and we need to bring the system down.

Beautiful and inspiring! I am glad see criticism of capitalism in this statement. We have been brainwashed into believing that we cannot do better than capitalism. It is high time to begin the discussion of alternatives to capitalism without the usual knee jerk reactions from those who claim that we do not have true capitalism.

Thank you my Egyptian brothers and sisters. Together we can create a better world!

Rick Cantor is a talking head for the 1%. The peaceful and intelligent demonstrators are far from a mob. The "mob" ,as in organized criminals, are the big banks who organized together to bankrupt this country at the expense of the majority for the benefit of the minority. The "mob" are the hedge fund managers that are allowed to leverage other peoples' money to make themselves wealthy. The "mob" are the people who stole from citizens pensions and savings. THEY ARE THE MOB. The MOB is in Washington and has been working behind closed doors, in privileged establishments, to implement policies that work for the super wealthy. They are the mob! Do not let this pejorative and insulting rhetoric be promoted and adopted, as the demonstrators are the harbingers of peace, the only kind of real and lasting peace, that which is begotten through economic justice and the personal freedom that emanates from this. Rick Cantor is as ignorant as his hair style is dated.

In response to Michael Moore, we do not need another FDR to save some hackneyed version of capitalism, which inevitably boils down to socialism for the rich, what we need is a massive expansion of democratic rights which means the U.S. government MUST divest itself from the economic order it is supposed to mediate. We do not need more workers any more than we need more capitalists, or totalitarian regimes, more factories, more pollution, more violence... we need none of these. We need better than FDR if we can imagine it.

Rick Cantor is afraid of Democracy, what with his not wanting to give a speech on income inequality because 300 seats were open to the public...how very callow and unaccountable and hardly the quality of an estimable public servant...I guess that is why he is reluctant to be in the company of the public.

Honestly, this is so well written and thoughtful. I am awed. As the movement grows, there continues to be more and more evictions by the police. Take the raids on Occupy Chicago Saturday and Occupy Oakland today as examples. It is time to actively protect the PUBLIC LANDS that we are occupying!! I hope to God that no one gets hurt, but I don't think that we should be passively accepting the brutal repression that SOME cops are choosing to practice.

I get your point and that in the Egyptian letter above about not allowing ourselves to be martyred and I agree with this principle because this country has no history of peaceful protests being successful in its fights for freedoms. It is a nation forged in violence. But there are two steps that must be taken before striking back in all out combat. And those are the actions of bringing civil suits and demanding criminal charges are filed against the perpetrators of these action sof police brutality by the attorney generals that are responsible to do such. The powers of the police and city government will not hear us until they are forced to testify in both civil and criminal courts to defend their wrongful actions in the face of overwhelming evidence that there was no justification for their actions. Governments and corporations speak to each other through legal proceedings all the time and it is the standard for communication. It is time for the very young victims of police brutality among our protesters to get initiated into this system of the real world. It is not enough to be martyred, as the letter says, we must take the law into your own hands eventually, but the first step has to be in learning to use the law and the courts to our advantage, just as the oppressors do, and sue every cop personally, their department, the mayor's office and the city council and even the state. Hold all of them, up through the chain of command, both civilly and criminally responsible, and set an example of what is more to come if they do not choose to acknowledge our rights as citizens, as we the people of the United States.

"I don't think that we should be passively accepting the brutal repression that SOME cops are choosing to practice." Are you advocating VIOLENCE? Do you realize how dangerous that would be to OWS and to the American people? It could lead to DISCREDITING OUR MOVEMENT, MASS SLAUGHTER and the imposition of MARTIAL LAW.

Martin Luther King had understood that very well over half a century ago.. That is why he always held steadfastly to NONVIOLENCE.

this is an amazing statement.
i want to urge caution concerning the reflections here on violence.
i believe that human beings are always vulnerable to losing themselves in passion.
this inevitably leads to barbarism, on either side.
what is preferable to this is a kind of cunning, a non-violent clarity.
it is impossible, in my humble opinion, to fetishize non-violence, as the writer said.
although, i understand what they went through, i believe the success of this movement will be measured by innovations to non-violence, that will arise from humor, from building bridges with the police, as well as a flexibility that technology now allows.
of course, i don't think any of this will be easy, but i do not want to look back, and have to think that the success of our movement ultimately derived from moments where we put aside our non-violence, seeing those as victories...no, i want to look back and be amazed by the breakthroughs we've had in the application of this principle, breakthroughs i have yet to fully intuit myself.
but i am willing to give voice to this, and I am willing to work to give a language to a new form of non-violence...
not the kind where we invite violence onto our own bodies, which i feel is a kind of violence to ourselves.
but perhaps we need to learn the value of retreat, and tire the oppressor by moving faster...maybe our occupied space should be virtual...and what i mean is, perhaps we have 5 parks, and when we know they are coming, we pop up at another place...
i don't know, i am merely saying that perhaps there is an innovation to be found in actual avoidance of confrontation, while maintaining our physical togetherness...
confrontation, in my opinion, is an ancient way, and i am looking for a new way...

The American People have been under attack for 30+ years. Our prosperity has been flushed down the toilet, while the precious few have thrived. Our constitutional rights have been dismantled. Our water is being destroyed through Hydraulic Fracturing. Trade agreements encourage companies to outsource labor. Global corporations get subsidies, while paying nothing in taxes, while we're expected to pay ours. Anti-trust legislation once broke up monopolies. Now the monopolies make the rules.

Tens of trillions of dollars have been extracted from us, and the entities who have bought our government, and dictate policy, won't sleep until they've bled us completely dry.

There are no Democrats or Republicans. Just corporate puppets doing the bidding of their funders. When we can only donate $2,500 to a political campaign, and global corporations can donate millions, we have zero representation.

Corporate fascism is becoming overt, and our time is running out.

Stop being victims of partisan politics. Neither "side" works for us.

Until we get all soft money out of politics, and end The K Street Lobby, nothing will change.

In 1773 the people rebelled against taxation without representation, and the seeds of our country were born.

"Fracking" is indeed an ecological problem, but the real problem is simply who is in power. If the people have power, ecological worries can be handled responsibly, and the resources beneath the ground can benefit everyone, not just a tiny elite. The Arab world demonstrates this to us - there are countries like Kuwait where there is no income tax and the government pays the citizens, and then there are others where one ruling family has $80 billion stashed away and there's a huge public debt. Closer to home, we have Alaska where citizens are paid money from oil revenues, and then there is Pennsylvania where, thanks to a Republican legislature and the recent election of a Republican governor, the only thing citizens will ever have to claim for their own from $1 trillion of natural gas is the frack water.

The gas that's produced from Fracking will simply go on the world market, and the only one who will benefit are the companies doing it. That's not an income steam to The US. This cost of getting this gas is the destruction of our water supply, one of the few natural resources that gives Americans a chance to live a sustainable life, within their environments.

There will be a vote coming up to allow a shale gas pipeline into NYC. 80% of the pipeline's load is unaccounted for, because there is no doubt that it will be going overseas, into the global market.

We have to bring maximum pressure on Cuomo to stop this from happening.

Shale Gas is not the answer, especially at this cost to our water. Water for drinking, crops and life.

yes, nov. 21st, i will be there. TRENTON, N.J. its decision day and the more people the better chance to stop this madness.
15 million peoples water will be affected. NJ, NY, PA, the delaware river... everything. that means all the crops will be ruined, animals that eat it in which we eat those animals/crops leading to a serious serious crisis.

Even Alaska gets something like 17% of the value of their oil as an extraction tax. I think Hugo Chavez would try to get 33%. 33% of a trillion dollars would pay to develop and preserve a lot of good clean drinking water.

Thankyou for highlighting the important fact that the roots of the the April 6th movement in Egypt were heavily influenced by the events of April 6th, 2008 when there was a major labour action planned at the biggest industrial conglomerate in Egypt along with solidarity actions, and it was all crushed by force by the very brutal security system.

The focus on financial inequality versus the devastation of the earth is a false split. The 1% would have no wealth to steal without exploiting humans AND without exploiting the land. Without the landbase no one has anything, not the 99% and not the 1%. It won't matter if people's homes are not foreclosed if the Earth is unlivable due to runaway climate change. There's only one home for all of us and we are almost done destroying it. Occupy the Machine.

Thank you Egypt. Your courageous spirits enpower us in the West. Even though our 'Political Systems' may be different, the results are the same. We, the 99%, are dispossed and disenfranchised whether in Cairo, London or New York, our cause is the same. I truly hope that your continuing struggle is successful even as the the military seek to re-take control of your revolution, as the neocons in our nations seek to use the police to disenfranchise us.

IT IS TIME to support the citizens of Egypt in their effort to gain control of >>their<< Country, their Government, it does not belong to the Military or
publicly corrupt officials..... All Countries belong to the PEOPLE
This is happening right here in the USA
Pay Attention Be aware ................... make plans for this coming Summer
save your money......Support Occupy Wall Street !!!! Be Non Violent !!!!!

I remember seeing events unfold in Cairo, and no one knew what was happening, no one was able to foresee the outcome, and so many here in USA were impatient for resolution - of any kind. Sorry to say, few can endure prolonged uncertainty. In Cairo, you could and did endure prolonged uncertainty, and more. Here, the demands are open; strategy is open; tactics are open, open and fluid. I hope we all around the globe, start banking on our collective determination to prevail eventually over the current global leadership. Our current global leadership is leading us all to Collapse. Global Collapse. Ironic that the justice we seek would benefit the 1% as well.

I get your point and that in the Egyptian letter above about not allowing ourselves to be martyred and I agree with this principle because this country has no history of peaceful protests being successful in its fights for freedoms. It is a nation forged in violence. But there are two steps that must be taken before striking back in all out combat. And those are the actions of bringing civil suits and demanding criminal charges are filed against the perpetrators of these action sof police brutality by the attorney generals that are responsible to do such. The powers of the police and city government will not hear us until they are forced to testify in both civil and criminal courts to defend their wrongful actions in the face of overwhelming evidence that there was no justification for their actions. Governments and corporations speak to each other through legal proceedings all the time and it is the standard for communication. It is time for the very young victims of police brutality among our protesters to get initiated into this system of the real world. It is not enough to be martyred, as the letter says, we must take the law into your own hands eventually, but the first step has to be in learning to use the law and the courts to our advantage, just as the oppressors do, and sue every cop personally, their department, the mayor's office and the city council and even the state. Hold all of them, up through the chain of command, both civilly and criminally responsible, and set an example of what is more to come if they do not choose to acknowledge our rights as citizens, as we the people of the United States.

I get the point in the Egyptian letter above about not allowing ourselves to be martyred and I agree with this principle because this country has no history of peaceful protests being successful in its fights for freedoms. It is a nation forged in violence. But there are two steps that must be taken before striking back in all out combat. And those are the actions of bringing civil suits and demanding criminal charges are filed against the perpetrators of these action sof police brutality by the attorney generals that are responsible to do such. The powers of the police and city government will not hear us until they are forced to testify in both civil and criminal courts to defend their wrongful actions in the face of overwhelming evidence that there was no justification for their actions. Governments and corporations speak to each other through legal proceedings all the time and it is the standard for communication. It is time for the very young victims of police brutality among our protesters to get initiated into this system of the real world. It is not enough to be martyred, as the letter says, we must take the law into your own hands eventually, but the first step has to be in learning to use the law and the courts to our advantage, just as the oppressors do, and sue every cop personally, their department, the mayor's office and the city council and even the state. Hold all of them, up through the chain of command, both civilly and criminally responsible, and set an example of what is more to come if they do not choose to acknowledge our rights as citizens, as we the people of the United States.

we are all in this together.......it don't matter what gang your from or who you represent.........it is us against them and it is all our turf...........the mob rules and they can't stop us all...........occupy everywhere and stand united and side by side with one another

Thank you Cairo, I know that you all used some violent tactics; but you were up against an enormous, and horrid police state, out numbered and out armed. Hopeful, we can pull off a non-violent revolution in the way this country is run. So far, we've managed to primarily exercise our rights peacefully. I admire so much the overall way you handled the Egyptian revolution, and hope your evolution to a more just nation is less painful, and your victories outnumber your setbacks. I also appreciate your willingness to share your lessons learned, and solidarity with OccupyWallStreet. As I watched the Egyptian Revolution unfold, I was so concerned for your safety. How wonderful that we have the capability to share pictures and videos - which tell the truth, and internet systems where we can share our thoughts, ideas, ideals, and support for each other. These methods of communication must be seen as basic human rights and protected and guarded from interference. I love you all for what you did, what you are doing, and who you are - responsible and caring citizens of our shared planet.

I don't think you have to jump straight from assuming the message isn't from Egypt to assuming it's "AGENTS PROVOCATEURS." But I will say that the person who wrote this is a native English speaker, probably an American, with anarchist political leanings and a literary flair. Someone who really likes CrimethInc or AdBusters.

There is representative democracy (which is what we are supposed to have here in the U.S.) and there is Direct Democracy (aka: petitions that lead to votes in the general elections). Both have benefits and drawbacks. I believe that representative democracy (when it works as it was intended) is less subject to fraud, because I believe most people elected to government positions are honest. We just have to let them know what we want. I fully support OWS in it's waking up of our electorate (the people that vote). More need to get educated and vote more often. Yeah it's work. Keep it up.

Greetings and solidarity to our Egyptian and American brothers from Greece.May the OWS movement evolve into a global PEACEFUL uprising of the people! Stand strong and keep it peaceful, I cannot stress that enough!!! Please don't be fooled by the news reports,the vast majority of the Greek protesters are non-violent and just want to express our frustration and agony about the future of our country.The riot scenes that you see on the news are caused mainly by undercover police posing as "anarchists" and-in a much smaller degree- by teenagers with too much adrenaline rush.Learn from us,because the American police will try that on you too,these are standard tactics worldwide.Don't believe the MSM lies, dividing people and making them hate each other is a centuries-old proven strategy.We,as you,are hard working,decent people,who saw their "sweat and blood" vaporized in front of our eyes by bankers' ponzy schemes and greedy,corrupt politicians. United we will stand or fall!!! At any case,we will put up a fight to be remembered!

This is your attempt to infiltrate the United States of America by Socialists who support the current presidency of Barack Obama and the seizure of power he wishes to attain in this country. I work - I'm neither wealthy nor poor, but I am grateful for the opportunities I have because of the free market system I live in. If you want to do something constructive with your time and bodies, and be fed & housed, then tell your Socialist president to reinstate the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration of the 1930's. Do something positive instead of tearing this country down. Protest your government - they have the power to make change. Or at least that was the claim during the last Presidential election campaign.

This is your attempt to infiltrate the United States of America by Socialists who support the current presidency of Barack Obama and the seizure of power he wishes to attain in this country. I work - I'm neither wealthy nor poor, but I am grateful for the opportunities I have because of the free market system I live in. If you want to do something constructive with your time and bodies, and be fed & housed, then tell your Socialist president to reinstate the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration of the 1930's. Do something positive instead of tearing this country down. Protest your government - they have the power to make change. Or at least that was the claim during the last Presidential election campaign.

How about "Planning Through the Market: More Equality Through the Market System"? http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/change/science_market.html "Most importantly for our purposes, markets can be reconstructed to make it possible to plan for a more egalitarian economic future. It turns out it is possible for strong governments to use the market system for planning. Once it is realized that markets can be viewed from a governmental point of view as administrative instruments for planning, it can be seen that with a little reconfiguring they can serve collective purposes as well as the individual consumer preferences trumpeted by conservative free market economists. In this form of planning, the information is supplied by the price system that is so central to the considerable, but far from perfect, efficiency brought about by markets. There is thus no need for one big planning apparatus. Instead, the planning tools within a reconstructed market system are simply taxes, subsidies, government purchases, and regulation. This point may seem very mundane, but these well-known government powers can be potent when applied to markets. They make it possible to speak in terms of restructuring the market system. They make it possible for different agencies of the state to tinker with different parts of the economic system, and to change course quickly if the economy does not respond as projected. (This is exactly how the Federal Reserve Board operates now, but always in favor of using higher interest rates to control inflation by throwing people out of work, not to increase maximum employment in conjunction with tax and spending policies that could help constrain inflation.)"

" There is no real choice in a vote. No matter whom is in office, they're still a puppet to the system, to the federal reserve, to the Rothschilds,"
The Rothschilds??? Here is a code word if I ever saw one.

I will refuse to use the words 'Arab Spring' until I see a reduction in violence towards the Christian community in Egypt. The so called 'Arab Spring' has prompted a very ugly escalation of violence towards the Coptic community.
Although I am an Anglican I regard the Copts of Egypt as my brothers and sisters. Hesperidean, Auckland, New Zealand

Form a Parliment. Assemble a Troop. Begin your Democracy! Stop milling about! You are not lost anymore! You are found! So find yourselves, in your elders! Go to them and seek the wise counsel! They will help you give birth to what is to become the New Egypt! Great Tidings and Great Joy o People Of Egypt! To see it in my lifetime is a great joy to me! Mikael!

" We are existing in an intricate, interconnected system of politics and personal -and often irrational/propaganda based- beliefs."

I think this is a very important idea. We are probably caught up in wrong and even dangerous belief systems. Take energy, for an example. The US sees itself as dependent on oil reserves of other countries. This is one important factor why the oppressive Arab governments were supported so long time. The belief is also that the US cannot live from its own resources and needs to got from others what they need - by use of money or by use of force. It becomes also more and more obvious that the current ecomnomic system cannot maintain this level of oil production and so the production will not increase much more and in a few years even decline. In times of higher interests, inflation, and rising worth of resources it becomes more economical to leave the oil in the ground.

So, the USA is obviously a very dependent nation. But this kind of dependence is rarely true. It is more like a drug addiction which means - loss of reality. Nobody really needs opiates to live. What is required is to realize and accept the own limits and to work on becoming self-sufficient. The very first step is to stop all attempts to take resources from other nations by use of force.

When I read this I come to understand that one thing that nearly all governments do is to separate people artificially, to make people believe they are enemies.

But when I saw the pictures from Cairo, from Tunis or from Therean what happened to Neda, the young student, who was killed after another government stole the election - I know we are not enemies. This was just a lie. You are humans as we, we are really brothers and sisters and what we all want is a future. It is not only stupid to be at war, it is against our core interests.

To have a future in this small world, we need basic justice, freedom and solidarity. The wish to stand together is not a weakness neither naive. It is something that makes us strong and also gives us back the dignity of being human, which means we are social beings. It is not genuinely human to permit that 99 % starve and have no future in a world of high technology and a abundant home planet while 1 % has immeasurable wealth. And we will change that - because we are not victims.

Who are the Comrades from Cairo? This essay is being reposted all over the web, but the authors are completely anonymous. Can someone at occupywallst.org share some details about the origin of this message?

usoftheworldcom
I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

usoftheworldcom
I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

usoftheworldcom
I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

Fast easy explanation, as if the oppressed in the Mideast voted for their tyeants and we are better than anyone else because we personally worked and fought for the life we enjoy. I'm sure all of your responsible friends and family have no financial problems Brad. Who should really wake up?

I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

I have started a forum called "The United States of the World" at www.usoftheworld.com. I am in complete sympathy with the idea not of Democratic Revolution but of Democratic Revolution Worldwide. Indeed, my view is that only nation-states willing to accept limited sovereignty like the 50 states of the United Sates and willing to join the United States as new states of a new world union of states can guarantee for their citizens real democracy. Please read the ideas of my call for worldwide revolution that is really, practically possible at my site and post your questions for me that you may have. Daniel McNeill

Comrades? I am not anyone's comrade. Also, I am beginning to think the movement has enough clout to change things through our brilliant electoral system that Cairo never had. The problem is we need to get those royal bloodline politicians out of office. So few people vote, that if everyone attached to the movement votes, maybe even placing its own candidates, then the face of politics could be made beautiful again. The governmental system of corporate dominance can also be brought down, and we can win. Please, though, don't call me your comrade, im not communist, and that is exactly what the term denotes.

We are, all of us, knee deep in the mire. This is the "one world" revolution.
We are bound, inextricably, together in the struggle for truth, justice, freedom and equality. If we stand united we cannot lose. We are "too big to fail". We are standing at the threshold of a new era, quitting is not an option. From Tarhir to Texas...we are one.

I agree. I'm thinking no, not another bs beauracracy. Also, at this point, i'm not that interested in a national movement, just the american one. What are our goals? If it is aa world tax like that mentioned by ad busters, which will take more money out of our hands, then I say go to hell. And thanks adbusters for getting this started, but your a business too, time for you to take a hike.

Go Muslim Brotherhood! We hope you win. Sharia Law Yippee! This will be good for women, individual rights and religious freedom. The Coptic Christians love you. Sorry things got a little crazy in Tahrir Square I guess you thought the female CBS reporter was Jewish when you gang raped and almost killed her. Go Egypt...your future is bright.

"All the fields of Attica [c. 600 BC] were thick with mortgage columns bearing inscriptions stating that the land on which they stood was mortgaged to such and such for so and so much. The fields not so marked had for the most part already been sold on account of unpaid mortgages or interest, and had passed into the ownership of the noble usurer; the peasant could count himself lucky if he was allowed to remain on the land as a tenant and live on one-sixth of the produce of his labor, while he paid five-sixths to his new master as rent. And that was not all. If the sale of the land did not cover the debt, or if the debt had been contracted without any security, the debtor, in order to meet his creditor's claims, had to sell his children into slavery abroad. Children sold by their father – such was the first fruit of father-right and monogamy! And if the blood-sucker was still not satisfied, he could sell the debtor himself as a slave. Thus the pleasant dawn of civilization began for the Athenian people." Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State (1884)

Love the use of the word solidarity and the fact that you'll welcome Noam Chomsky to your protest. The amount of news coverage you're receiving is shrinking and devolving into individual interviews and personal issues among your ranks. The hyperpolitical correctness and sensitivy to one anothers personal hot buttons has inspired me to support my sisters in the struggle and to make ammends for the damage caused by the male dominated culture of greed I therefore plan to neuter myself and change my name to 99% C*nt.

"A slave-owner who through cunning and violence shackles a slave in chains, and a slave who through cunning or violence breaks the chains – let not the contemptible eunuchs tell us that they are equals before a court of morality!" Trotsky, Their Morals and Ours (1938)

It's nice to know this site is a PHONEY site and is - non democratic! I just posted a comment about how you need to make specific demands here for change AND THE POST WAS REMOVED BY THE FASCIST MODERATOR!

One thing "Occupy" is missing is a list of specific demands for change. Specific demands like free and publicly funded elections, free education for all, free access to public media and our airwaves and especially - Outlawing the banning or the moving by the police and/or city hall of media and press coverage just before sweeping in, and beating people over the head in the middle of the night!

This list should be easy for all to see right at the very top of the "Occupy" website. It will help unite the people for a common cause. Get Organized!

rufust: "It's nice to know this site is a PHONEY site and is - non democratic! I just posted a comment about how you need to make specific demands here for change AND THE POST WAS REMOVED BY THE FASCIST MODERATOR!"

this is great. there's a lot to learn from this. read and re-read. the best statement yet on OWS.

I like the scope and depth of this brief essay, but I'm also relieved to hear something like this:
"Resist fiercely when you are under attack, but otherwise take pleasure in what you are doing, let it be easy, fun even."

Gracious! How stately, eloquently, and succinctly written and versed from the heart! I wept with joy at these words. Truly, what else are we to do but occupy these public spaces?
Yet, the real trials are still to come. We here in America can't really comprehend police violence, tactics and torture that surely are still to fester and ultimately manifest--but we're beginning to see the whole picture.
This movement is not going away, "as we have no future in the current order of things"
Touche`!

We, the People of Love, Compassion & Kindness, hope the Occupy Wall Street & Everywhere folks can calmly recognize that Individual and Corporate Greed is a mental and emotional illness. We hope they can have compassion for the sickness.

Each week, we can meditate and pray for the opening of the heart and healing of the mind of the greedy. We can then guide the young and older to be generous, love and care for themselves, each other and the Earth.

With meditation, prayer, gentle conversation and guidance, we can try to uplift and help heal inner suffering and restore inner happiness, so all may be able to enjoy this world that has so many beautiful gifts.

We can sing The Song of Giving with those who love to share their Hearts with all... Having mastered the art of creating phenomenal amounts of profits, the wealthy can learn how to make money reach where it is needed the most…

We need creative, sustainable communities and common wealth… for all and the Earth…

I see many people concerned with the effects of violence in your campaign, because of the wrath that it will unleash from "gate-keepers" or whatever else... this is not the real reason you should be afraid of enacting violence.

Right now Occupy Wall Street has a pretty high approval rating across the board from Americans. Your tactics so far are working and most people across this country are really pissed off. Whether you are a working stiff, and old person trying to retire, just out of college, or a conservative bleeding patriot, we all have our reasons we are pissed off.

The theoretical pretenses for this occupation cut across a sweeping cross-section of beliefs, personal opinions and emotional contingencies. Hell even many military folks are pissed off.

If you were to use methods of violence, you would create a dissonance between these opposing sides. All sides understand the beauty, power and nature of peace and it is uniting these opposing factions. The limiting use of violence isn't a threat because of the potentiality for punishment from Daddy, it will in essence defunct your own powerful position you of somehow created.

Besides you guys have to much work to do than to focus on violence, you have people to recruit and way to many other things that should be on your mind, besides using violence. You need to build and weave a political ideology that will pierce to the heart of the matter with a call to action to come and protest with you, there are hundreds of thousands of us waiting, because we know what has happened is wrong. You need to pull in as many variety of people as you can and set aside your ethical differences, to focus on the main issue at hand, we are being screwed on every level.

I am told that the main stream media is describing OWS as "the Tea Party of the left," as though the actual Boston Tea Party had a "left" and a "right." Clearly it is difficult for the media to accept that We the People can communicate a message and a movement that is not simple to divide, try as they will.

We seek to find a true Islamic state takes care of Muslim internally and externally, we do not seek a democratic state because they are not our ideas of a capitalism that produced you, and that caused you unhappiness and misery and the collapse of human values

Islamic state, what is that exactly? If you haven't noticed we here in America believe in the separation of church and state and we let people worship where and whomever they wish. Also we don't murder people for believing in something different than us.

This is the way to follow.
We've to gather the solidarity all over the world as far as the Movement will become more global than the globalization.
10.000 people blinded by their greed can't control and dominate 7 billion of people who struggle just to survive.
Go on until the victory.

soildarity is verygood but we must but Solution, to me as muslim i have system in islam Achieve justice to my nation ,But our rulers do not want this
to Occurs , and the capitalism do , because thire Interests will be lost , so the capitaliem support those rulers to keep thire interstes , Imagine if that natural sources such as gas, oil and iron elc.. with state hands , thats will make State Treasury very big and can create project and jobs and Provide shelter for the poor and that for u people and my people , to me thire are rules to achiefe thats levels
1- Must be controlled by the state in natural resources
2-State must take care of state affairs externally and internally
3-Pumping forms in all areas that would raise the level of people
4-Identify public property, private and state-owned

Of course I agree with you, but the problem is: to be still slaves of the capitalists or owners of our destiny?
If we want, we can win, because we are billions. The success depends just on our WILL.
My idea is: never give up struggling.

Yes, this is an ideal that the American people cannot understand because we have been Occupied through means more savvy than police brutality. WE were asleep, still are perhaps, and I truly hope that this is an uprising based upon a true desire for fundamental liberties as they should exist for all, and not simply a protest against the fact that Americans have been forced to live with less, materially. Let us join the world, it's about time, and let us realize that we don't need some plastic piece of crap assembled in the form of a product delivered to us in a box so that we can feel free. We toss this word "freedom" about so casually and we have no idea what it means. We have not fought for it, I suppose it's something that just happened because it was delivered to us and the box it arrived in had "freedom" written somewhere on the box. And, I truly hope that we come to the realization that OUR freedom, if adequately named, cannot be delivered unto us on the backs of others, because that is what will continue if many of the OWS protesters have their way. We must find a way out of being consumers, and demanding that the world conform to this way so that we all may function in peace.

Yes, this is an ideal that the American people cannot understand because we have been Occupied through means more savvy than police brutality. WE were asleep, still are perhaps, and I truly hope that this is an uprising based upon a true desire for fundamental liberties as they should exist for all, and not simply a protest against the fact that Americans have been forced to live with less, materially. Let us join the world, it's about time, and let us realize that we don't need some plastic piece of crap assembled in the form of a product delivered to us in a box so that we can feel free. We toss this word "freedom" about so casually and we have no idea what it means. We have not fought for it, I suppose it's something that just happened because it was delivered to us and the box it arrived in had "freedom" written somewhere on the box. And, I truly hope that we come to the realization that OUR freedom, if adequately named, cannot be delivered unto us on the backs of others, because that is what will continue if many of the OWS protesters have their way. We must find a way out of being consumers, and demanding that the world conform to this way so that we all may function in peace.

I agree with most of this to Quote the Ladder well neoliberalism has taken its toll, I'm a Liberal Democratic Socialist and I say Amen and Thank you Cairo for standing strong, even after they just overthrew their Fascist Government. so To Quote struggleforfreedom80: "In solidarity with the poor and working people all over the world. Keep on fighting" and I could have never said it better myself.

Powerful statement of purpose, and great responses. On the rights of
assembly, it is time we in New York took back those rights
from the permissions, restrictions and permits put out by our cowardly
NYCity mayor (who is a 1 percent of the 1 percenters). Our rights of
association and free speech do not stem from any largese squinted out by the criminal class Bloomberg represents, but from our own personal freedoms that no longer need restrictions and determinations from them.
Let's move this beautiful thing along!!!

I hope that the call to violence implicit here is going to be eschewed. Perhaps everyone should be reminded that our jubilant comrades celebrated by gang raping an American woman correspondent inTahrir Square.

"Occupy Wall Street received a surprise visit Monday from several leading Egyptian activists, including 26-year-old Asmaa Mahfouz. She is one of the founders of the April 6 Youth Movement, which is the group credited with helping to organize the January 25 protests that eventually toppled the regime of former president Hosni Mubarak. Prior to the protest in January, Mahfouz recorded a YouTube video urging people to fill Tahrir Square."

Ultimately, there's no difference among people worldwide and their struggles. Egyptian, USA, Russian, Syrian, et. al. police & military will follow orders. But some won't after a certain level of enforcement, i.e. violence, is reached. That's the turning point for structural economic & political change, when the politicians' force is neutralized.

Thank you for your support Cairo! This is the time for the next generation! I'm so tired of the greed and hate and the feelings of helplessness. We are the people who grew up in the midst of corruption and we are the only ones who are going to put our hearts into stopping it but it is important that we remain peaceful. Otherwise, we are only contributing to the problem and our efforts will be lost. Many decades have gone by building and building on the need for a revolution. This goes beyond the names in office, this is about demanding the life we deserve. We cannot and will not stop until we get what we want.

"Solidarity", "Comrades", "Proletariat".....sounds like Marx' wet dream over here. This whole thing is reminiscent of Weimar Republic in Germany in the 1920's where rapid inflation, unemployment, etc had led to the rise of commies and nazis (OWS and TEA). We all know which one won back in those days. In either case, nobody wants any of these options.

Here is where things get interesting. I have been watching OWS for awhile now 3 or 4 weeks. Gathering every bit of info I can. To get a sense of direction see whats its really about and where is going. I like alot of what I have been hearing. (Gather together PEACEFULLY, Dicuss Issues that NEED addressed, get money OUT OF POLITICS, Come together with the world for the PEOPLE OF THE WORLD to make a better place for all. We are living in a time where there really is not excuss for some of the things going on in the world to day. (Hunger, Starvation, Hate, Racism, Ect) However this post seems to be indirectly promoting violence. I dont like that and will not support it. If things head in that direction in the US It could be very bad for all. For starters media will only show OWS violence. Americas would be turned off by that you will lose support. Martial law could be inforced then things would be far worse then they are now. Obama would remain president untill martial law is over. I think we are better then that. I think we should show the world that peace is the only way to go. Sure there will be pressure from the police and what not. But keep doing what your doing. Do it with peace and a clean heart. If that time come and I really hope it dont. Then the media will only be able to air non-violent people being abused by the police that will gain support from both sides supporters and no supporters alike. I urge you all do NOT FOLLOW BLINDLY. OPEN YOU EYES, QUESTION EVERYTHING AND FOLLOW YOU HEART. Do what if right first and formost for the greater good of the world.

Periodically, people start to wise up to the fact that the government uses violence willy nilly, and it does in fact work, and there is not real moral justification for why they should do that while we must tie our hands.

There is a difference between using nonviolence because that is what works and because you think it is a moral imperative, though. I still think we should stick with nonviolence, and to a degree that we stop well short of throwing rocks at the security forces!

This isn't Egypt, and NYC this isn't Cairo. I agree with the other posters that this could easily be from agent provocateurs. The police are far better trained and equipped, and the military is on the side of the government much more so. The bulk of the population does ignorantly fetishize non-violence even if you don't so if we want their continued support we have to tread carefully.

Oh, and when people get arrested here they don't get usually get beaten (although certainly far too often) and murdered. We can be inventive enough to do this nonviolently, and I think that is still the best way, but we should not tie our hands any more than we need to in other ways too.

We are existing in an intricate, interconnected system of politics and personal -and often irrational/propaganda based- beliefs. We need to change them but also work with them at the same time, building from what we have to something more.

There has not been any documentation, not even one, of Occupy people throwing rocks, or committing any other acts of violence towards the police. In this technological age, every event has literally hundreds and even thousands of people filming at any given moment. The police are filming. The truth will out.

Occupy has a strict peaceful policy. Even a protestor who joined Occupy Wall Street with anti-Semitic signs was shouted down and made to leave the Occupy site.

We must remember, the status quo does not like threats, regardless of how lawful they are. Occupy is a threat to the profiteers. Media is mis-portraying it already, lies are being told already, and we mustn't forget those old tactics of planting saboteurs, professional agitators, and even plants that will misbehave so that Occupy can be blamed.

Trust The People. Watch the hundreds of live Tweets and videos and livestreams that come in from hundreds of sources at each event. Judge for yourself, or you'll have to make that fantastical leap of logic that every single person of hundreds and thousands is in some big conspiracy across the country to secretly throw rocks and then lie about it. No.

This is the time for The People! I have big hopes that this is what is going to change in this new century. On opposition to what many people say, like "we're reaching the end of times" or "humankind is doomed" I think this is a new era, a new century and therefore we all need a new mentality. Before we had individuals, now we have the the people as a single voice, as the centre of all decision making. We can decide! We can change things! And movements like this one are showing that all people from all world are together in the same mindset. Who is against the people is living in the past. This is not the past, this is the present that will determine our future and those who can't see and feel that, are becoming obsolete and inadapted like creatures who couldn't keep up with the changes of times. I'm not trying to make a speech here, I'm just trying, in my modest way share the happyness and the hope that lives in my mind at the moment. I hope that in my country (Portugal) people will feel the vibes of this new era and make their voice be heard as soon as possible.
Let perseverance and reason be our weapons!

Wow. You guys are SO gullible. There ain't no way in hell this message is from Cairo.

The tone is clearly that of an American leftist, not an Egyptian, and the concerns mentioned in the message (capitalism, globalization, etc.) were not the issues driving the Egyptian revolt; they were just fed up with Mubarak.

A poisoned apple from one clothed as "comrades from Cairo"? Amidst stirring images and phrases is hidden the subtle and seductive venom: "we knew that there was no other option than to fight back." "It is not our desire to participate in violence, but it is even less our desire to lose." "fetishizing nonviolence". Was it composed in Cairo... or Langley? Our hearts and our humanity must weigh every word in these precious days!

I heartily concur with "mayavirupa". This "Solidarity Statement From Cairo" smells C I A !!! Let me repeat that slowly: C I A ... C I A .... C I A ...... C I A ..... C I A.... C I A .... C I A ..... C I A .....

The statement is a brilliant piece of manipulative writing. It appeals to E M O T I O N S . In fact, some have commented on being "in tears" while reading it... That in itself should be enough to make us all VERY suspicious.

Note how cleverly the author (or authors) wait until the VERY LAST PARAGRAPH to slip in what "mayavirupa" brilliantly dubs "the subtle and seductive venom"...

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: This is probably a clever ploy by an AGENT PROVOCATEUR. Please DON'T fall for it, OWS!!!

To support your point on nonviolence: http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/change/science_nonviolence.html "Violence-prone activists sometimes like to claim they are merely retaliating against violence by the police, which they think people will understand and even applaud as justifiable self-protection. Some activists also believe that standing up to the police will inspire others to join them because they have shown they are serious about challenging the system. However, as polls taken after such incidents show, most people do not accept these rationales. They do not like to hear of extreme reactions by the police, but they tend to blame the demonstrators, even when the police are the primary instigators. Thus, it is not a matter of who is right and who is wrong, or about which side started it. It is a matter of whether physical confrontations are effective in gaining adherents, and it seems clear that they are not."

This is just beautiful. We are all Egyptians! We must all become occupiers. I'm an old guy, looking at OWS in wonder, supporting it and trying to understand it at the same time. These Cairo folks have helped me do that.

Here's how we can easily Reform Wall Street: Take away their powers "Once Again." And the best way to get it done is a Million People March to Capitol Hill!

For example, "We are here Congress because we want you to REINSTATE the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/071603.asp#axzz1aPEc3wX which was created to help save our country from the Great Depression by preventing investment companies, banks, and insurance companies from merging and becoming large brokerage firms; instead of just being Banks and Insurance companies -- Congress why can't you learn a history lesson from 1929? The current system doesn't work, again, except for the 1%. Btw, why did most of you vote for the major repeal of G-S Act in 1999? Shattering The Glass-Steagall Act: http://www.counterpunch.org/2008/09/19/shattering-the-glass-steagall-act (2nd story here)

Furthermore Congress, we also want you to CHANGE the Commodities Future Modernization Act of 2000 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodity_Futures_Modernization_Act_of_2000 BACK to where it was before 2000, which since has deregulated energy markets and consequently allowed for such scams as The Enron Loophole; whereas in the early 2000's Enron Corp. was charging 250 bucks plus for a kilowatt hour...They all when to jail for this. But, the Enron loophole is still not closed, for example, allowing speculators to resell barrels of oil over and over again before it reaches the gas station owner. It's basically legal gambling at our expense. What were those lawmakers thinking then? What are you thinking now? Either do the right thing, or you're part of the 1%."

So why are oil prices high? The Enron Loophole. Former Head of U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission speaks to Congress on the high price of oil--and he's not happy about energy deregulations:

Rolling Stones Reporter: Truth about Goldman Sachs--how they have cornered the markets--basically, The Enron Loophole and the shattering of Glass-Steagall Act in 1999.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waL5UxScgUw

Let's get focused and bring back The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, they got it right 1933, we don't need to REINVENT the wheel because bringing this Act back will help create an even playing field once again....and let's finally Close the Enron Loophole, which allowed Enron to charge what they wanted for energy; they went to jail for this; but no one closed the loophole, why? Re-election Monies from the big brokerage firms and oil companies! The writing is on the wall.

Let's get organized and reinstate these critical financial reforms with a Million People March to Capitol Hill!

This peaceful revolution is not just about America. We've gone global with 'occupy' spreading into every corner of the world. Every country on this planet is in suppression in one form or another thanks to the 1% controlling everything. I have no interest in what country anyone who is occupying is from, what race you are, your gender, or your religion. This is about making a better world for EVERYONE wherever you live. I will not reduce myself to tits for tats pitting one country against another for their own crimes against humanity. Or do you think is was acceptable for the US to bomb the hell out of Iraq, killing tens of thousands of innocent people after 9/11 to make a point by getting even? Every country on this planet is tainted with its own ugly stories. And history has shown itself again and again that if there's one thing people are good at it's beating the crap out of their fellow beings. I see no borders in my eyes. We are all one on this planet and finally coming together to create something better for ourselves. Let's not rock the boat by pointing fingers at what one country has done to another and to its own people. We have a lot to learn yet in getting along with others who are outside our 'boxes'. Best to at least agree to disagree with our faults, learn from our mistakes and move on, or we might as well just keep killing each other along the way and never moving forward.

Egypt's endorsement of support should not be discounted merely because their flavor of democracy differs from mine or yours. The god honest truth of the Arab spring is that students, doctors, teachers of their world stood up and refused to let hooligans and government gangs dilute the message of peace. There is no way to peace. Peace is the only way

Yes. Peace is the only way and it begins in each and every heart that pumps. Here is the Prayer for Peace Poem by Lao Tse, 6th Century B.C.
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations.
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home.
There must be peace in the heart.

If you reverse the poem you can see peace begins inside. It doesn't matter which country you live in, what color you are, what religion you are, or what car you drive because we are all the same once the clothing is shed, and the mask comes off, there are no differences. We are all humans.

There was some fighting in Egypt, but see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_revolution_of_2011 - there really was very little violence, and peaceful actions carried by far the most weight. A few of Mubarak's thugs shooting innocent protesters don't count; the point is, the protesters carried the day in good order, not by fire and reprisal.

THANK YOU for reminding us of that. Many of us strongly suspect that this "Solidarity Statement From Cairo" is actually BOGUS and that the "Comrades from Cairo" are not even LEGIT, but a cover for "AGENTS PROVOVATEURS" who seek to push OWS in the direction of violence. Violence in the present context could only lead to slaughter and the imposition of MARTIAL LAW.

"The young woman is legit". Who are we talking about? I was challenging the legitimacy of the self-proclaimed "Comrades from Cairo". WHO are they exactly? WHAT ORGANIZATION do they belong to (if any). OWS must NOT be naive. Listening to the advice of "Comrades from Cairo" would IMO be SUICIDAL for OWS, if not for the nation!!!

How inspiring! Thank you so much for posting this. Tears of joy! This is truly touching to know that our world is uniting behind each other no matter where we all live.

I LOVE this part - "So we stand with you not just in your attempts to bring down the old but to experiment with the new. We are not protesting. Who is there to protest to? What could we ask them for that they could grant? We are occupying. We are reclaiming those same spaces of public practice that have been commodified, privatized and locked into the hands of faceless bureaucracy , real estate portfolios, and police ‘protection’. Hold on to these spaces, nurture them, and let the boundaries of your occupations grow. After all, who built these parks, these plazas, these buildings? Whose labor made them real and livable? Why should it seem so natural that they should be withheld from us, policed and disciplined? Reclaiming these spaces and managing them justly and collectively is proof enough of our legitimacy."

From a fellow comrade in America who wants a better world for everyone. I love you all!

I can't relate in words how cathartic it feels to see this. This is a global movement! In a real sense it is global, for it is happening everywhere in real-time. Our opponents, once they begin to take us as seriously as they should, will consider this a war. In modern warfare, victory is won with speed, surprise, coordination and initiative taken by sub-groups of the fighting force. For the first time, people like us have those assets!

HOWEVER, I am concerned with the statement about violence as a last resort. I think this exposes a difference between the situation here and in the Arab world. See, when the police come to arrest you here, you might get sprayed, beaten or even accidentally killed. You might spend more time in jail than you should. But you'll likely leave jail without having been tortured or summarily executed. Your family will remain safe. Now all of this could change as our movement grows, but for the time being the stakes are much lower when you get arrested in the United States.

That's why I believe there should be more arrests, not less, at least when it comes to day marches emanating from the occupied spaces. I believe we should make a show of being arrested in the calmest, quietest - and most disquieting - way possible. We should be arrested in the largest numbers possible. The Civil Rights movement left a majority of Americans favorably disposed to sustained non-violent resistance. This is a thread we must be aware of. Throwing things at police or breaking their stuff is a no-no.

But when it comes to defending the occupied spaces, we must remain peaceful but defend it vigorously nonetheless. Barricades must go up. Every delaying action possible should be taken to keep the police from closing in. We should hold hands and sit, even chain ourselves together. And when they release us, we'll return to occupy again, and again and again until we're everywhere.

Thank you for your support Cairo! This is the time for the next generation! I'm so tired of the greed and hate and the feelings of helplessness. We are the people who grew up in the midst of corruption and we are the only ones who are going to put our hearts into stopping it but it is important that we remain peaceful. Otherwise, we are only contributing to the problem and our efforts will be lost. Many decades have gone by building and building on the need for a revolution. This goes beyond the names in office, this is about demanding the life we deserve. We cannot and will not stop until we get what we want.

Many of us are beginning to wonder : is this "Solidarity Statement From Cairo" genuine or BOGUS??? And are these "Comrades from Cairo" truly legit? Has OWS clarified and double-checked the name of the organization that they are supposed to belong to?

The paragraph before last condoning VIOLENCE makes me extremely suspicious... as it would be VERY dangerous advice for OWS to follow in our present context in America. It could enly lead to MARTIAL LAW and tyranny. This is probably a clever ploy by an AGENT PROVOCATEUR. Please DON'T fall for it, OWS!!!

Completely nuts. As if greed didn't exist in the USSR, as if greed doesn't exist in China, as if greed doesn't exist in the various other dictatorships in the world. What do you think was happening in Egypt, Libya, and is still happening in Saudi Arabia etc? All these places are worse than the US in terms of all the wealth going to a select group/families and no chance of others ever gaining wealth, no matter how intelligent or creative they are. Jezz, I can't believe people actually believe the nonsense I am reading here.

Thank you for your message of solidarity but, with respect, who are you? Are you part of an official movement? Are you in fact the true leaders of the Movement that ousted Hosni Mubarak?

Also, are you aware of the particular conditions that exist in the United States? Are you aware of our "trigger-happy" culture? Are you aware that there are 90 guns for 100 Americans kept in people's homes?

Nonviolence is not a "fetish" for us, it is a matter of SURVIVAL. We are sitting at present on a powder keg and the least bit of violence on the part of OWS would give our enemies the perfect excuse to destroy us, including in the court of public opinion.

We admire the success of the Arab Spring, but you must understandthat there are many important differences between the United States and Egypt. As someone said last spring, "there are more guns in American homes than there are stones in Tahrir Square or perhaps in the whole of Cairo".

In closing, Comrades from Cairo, let me just make clear that I am NOT speaking on behalf of OWS but only in my own name. I can only hope and pray that, having espoused gandhian and kingian nonviolence, OWS will NOT choose to take up arms, as that would only play in the hands of those elements already in place - the 1% - who would LOVE to have martial law and establish a fascist dictatorship in order to CRUSH this righteous uprising of the American people. For us, it is better to have martyrs than to fall into that trap and completely sabotage our Movement. The police cannot kill us all. And they cannot break our will as a people.

Che Guevara once said over New York City radio that armed revolution might succeed on an island, but couldn't in the continental states. The United States is an extremely well-organized garrison state with many disparate locales, cultures and residents, all subjected to constant media hypnosis. But with a loss of comfort zone approaching third-world conditions, Americans are waking up.

It´s really wonderful to see all this global solidarity that is growing among working and strugglin´ people. This unjust undemocratic neoliberalism has affected so many people all over the world - its time for a domestic AND global change. Let me repeat what I wrote under my profile when I created an account here october 4:

In solidarity with the poor and working people all over the world. Keep on fighting!

I agree. I love the fact that people from different nations, some of them that were enemies in the past (in terms of their governments and militaries but not necessarily in terms of their citizens) are talking and supporting each other and are working together. Growing up during the end of the Cold War, I didn't envision this type of thing..... and it's great!! It shows that the citizens can overcome the wrongdoings of their governments and militaries to come together for the rights of all.

Swiss, the people across the globe have for the first time seen the Real Americans. Not the ones in the movies,or the soldiers in uniform or the politicians that misrepresnt us everyday...But Real Down To Earth American people !

Voting is simply an attempt to make us all feel safe and warm in our beds at night, while we sleep peacefully under our "democrat" "republican" blankets. There is no real choice in a vote. No matter whom is in office, they're still a puppet to the system, to the federal reserve, to the Rothschilds, and all of the other 1%. It's time to wake up people!! We're in the midst of a NEW WORLD ORDER, and if we don't pay attention it won't be the type of order we seek. It will be their new world order.

Is this "Solidarity Statement From Cairo" genuine or BOGUS??? And are these "Comrades from Cairo" truly legit? Has OWS clarified and double-checked the name of the organization that they are supposed to belong to?

The paragraph before last condoning VIOLENCE makes me extremely suspicious... as it would be VERY dangerous advice for OWS to follow in our present context in America. It could only lead to MARTIAL LAW and tyranny. This is probably a clever ploy by an AGENT PROVOCATEUR. Please DON'T fall for it, OWS!!!

What caused the people of Egypt to be subjected to a dictator for 40 years? How absurd to compare the situation of Egyptians to the situation of the American people or to suggest that Americans need to engage in violence. There's no dictator to overthrow here. We have a Constitution -- people need to become educated and use the system we have.

Destroy your own ignorance which is enslaving you. Start learning but choose your teachers wisely. Choose teachers who want to see you successful and happy and not teachers who are looking for minions to push their own agendas. Yes, I am referring to Chomsky.

In case you have not noticed America ONLY listens/responds to war and killing! That is the only way they know to solve problems. Tell me when our government has listened to the people over Goldman Sachs?????

Of course, no one (no one who is so pro-military) will even object to all the American citizens (not to mention the citizens of other countries who are killed) who are killed in order to carry out the imperialist missions of the U.S. military and the U.S. government. They are so blind to that, "because they are defending our freedom". Almost ALL wars and invasions are born out of GREED and the need to control others because of that greed and NOT OUT OF DEFENDING FREEDOM.